Night Changes
by Tarts Wardrobe
Summary: does it ever drive you crazy / just how fast the night changes [AU]


**Night Changes**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Digimon or it's characters.

_Going out tonight, changes into something red_

* * *

><p>The merriment of Christmas passed just as quickly as it came. It's the final day of December and another year will be coming to it's conclusion at midnight tonight. She has the day off work and while most people would take this as a time to relax, she is surrounded by what can only be described as utter chaos. Normally Mimi Tachikawa would consider a kitchen to be her sacred place, a place where she feels the most sane, however his kitchen isn't organized to her liking and he doesn't even own a set of teaspoons. If all of that isn't stressful enough, she has a moody twelve year-old watching over her almost too severely, occasionally punctuating the tense silence with snide remarks.<p>

"I wouldn't even touch that if you paid me." The young girl says, gesturing to a tray of mushroom caps waiting to be stuffed. She's sat on a barstool, with her elbows resting on the counter.

"Maybe you will feel differently about it once it's actually been cooked, Amy." The older woman responds thickly, straining to keep her voice calm. She likes children, really she does. In fact, when she first learned about Amy she was quite excited. Nervous, but excited. It would of course be tricky to start a relationship with someone who has children from a previous marriage, but she thought things were going pretty well all around.

"Uncooked or cooked, I'd sooner die than eat that garbage."

Okay, that's a lie. Things are going alright with her boyfriend. Things with his daughter… not so much.

She swallows an angry retort and begins to spoon a filling into the mushroom caps. She tries her hardest to ignore the evil glares directed towards her. Just as she's about done the first row or mushrooms he walks in and surveys the mess that has taken up his kitchen counters. He comes up behind her and snakes an arm around her waist.

"Hows it going, Mimi?" He asks and before she can reply Amy jumps in.

"Daddy…" She whines, a pout forming on her lips. He drops his arms from Mimi's waist and turns his attention to his daughter. "I don't want to eat _her_ food. I don't like it."

Mimi can't help but feel a little bit hurt. She's been cooking nearly all day, a special meal for New Years Eve just for the three of them. She looks at her boyfriend expectantly, waiting for him to scold his daughter for being so rude and to apologize. Instead, he reaches into the pocket of his trousers and takes his wallet out. Pulling out a shiny black credit card he puts it in his daughters extended hand.

"How about you call for a pizza? Order whatever you like."

She mutters a quick "thanks" and turns on her heel heading for the living room, not before sending a satisfying smirk Mimi's way. Completely unaware of the hostile exchange that has just gone on, he turns back to Mimi and asks when she will be done in the kitchen. She stares at him stunned, her mouth agape. He takes no notice and begins to pour a glass of wine and settles himself at the kitchen table with the evening paper. Setting her utensils down with a clatter, she follows him to the table, staring down at him.

"Are you kidding me?" She asks. Her arms are folded across her apron.

"Huh." He doesn't bother taking his eyes off the paper. She's can't contain her frustration, so she grabs the paper from his hands and slams it down on the table.

"What are you-" He starts but she doesn't let him finish.

"You asked me to come here and cook for you and Amy. I asked you which foods she likes and which she doesn't. I've been in your kitchen the entire day and you give her your credit card to order a pizza?" She's trying her hardest not to raise her voice, but it's proving to be difficult. Collapsing into the chair opposite him she sighs loudly, takes a deep breath and continues. "Michael, you know I would never tell you how to raise your daughter-"

"Then don't." He interrupts, taking back his newspaper and smooths it out on the table before him. "I don't want to discuss this now." He makes a point to look up at the clock above the stove. "We have to leave in an hour and dinner isn't even ready." He isn't blaming her, he's just stating the facts. "Maybe we should wrap everything up and just eat it tomorrow when Amy is at gymnastics." She nods, standing up to start the process of tidying up but he catches her wrist and pulls her into him. She stands between his legs and he wraps his arms tightly around her.

"I love you, you know?" He says softly, pressing his cheek into the fabric of her apron. She doesn't bother to reply. She can't reply because she knows that love, not that she's much of an expert at it, wasn't supposed to feel like this. The person you love isn't supposed to frustrate you and make you feel insignificant or small. She contemplates saying something, but it doesn't matter now because he's gently pushing her away, warning her that the kitchen has to be tidied and that she must be ready to leave in exactly fifty-five minutes. He walks down the hallway to the master bedroom and she's about to call him back and ask for some help with the mess but she can hear him in the bathroom and the shower is turned on.

* * *

><p>It's a bit later in the evening now and Mimi is sat on the couch in a very lavishly decorated room quite literally rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in the music industry. That's what happens when you're old friends with Yamato Ishida, who is celebrating the end of another very successful year as a world renowned rockstar. Everyone around her is laughing at a joke some big shot Hollywood actor is telling, but she isn't paying close attention. Her cinnamon eyes are scanning the room, looking for Michael. She's barely seen him since they arrived. Finally, she spots him in a quiet corner talking on the phone. Judging by his wild and aggressive hand gestures, she assumes that he's dealing with some issue at work and she knows better than to go and disturb him.<p>

"Mimi? Earth to Mimi…" Someone snaps their fingers near in face to gain her attention and she drags her gaze away from Michael and onto a woman with short, orange hair.

"Oh Sora!" Mimi cries out in shock, getting up off the leather seat and pulls her best friend in for a hug. "I was about to call you and shout at you for not being here!" She says, smiling widely and surveying Sora's ensemble. Obviously, it was wonderfully chic and of course hand made. What else would one expect from an aspiring fashion designer? Sora was currently working in one of the most well known fashion houses Tokyo has to offer, under the watchful eye of one of the biggest names in fashion. She hoped to one day make a name for herself, but for now she was happy to be climbing the ranks at such a prestigious design studio.

"As if I would ever miss an Ishida party!" She laughs and takes Mimi's arm, leading her to a more quiet section of the room. "I had to pick up Kari from her parents house, she was having dinner with them tonight." Sora quickly explains her reason for arriving so late. She cranes her neck, looking around the room to locate their brunette friend. "She's here somewhere. Hopefully keeping Davis away from the open bar." She laughs and gives up on the search and turns her attention back to Mimi. "So where's Michael? Let me guess, he didn't want to come to another party with your _childish_ friends? Honestly Meems you could do so much-"

Mimi cuts her off quickly enough. "He's here." She gestures over the the far corner where he is still talking animatedly on the phone. It was pretty much common knowledge that Sora didn't take too kindly to Michael. He was quite a bit older than Mimi, almost and never fails to point out how immature some of her friends can be. In his defence, the first time he met her inner circle was at Davis' twenty-third birthday party last year where a whole lot of debauchery took place. Specifically Davis getting totally and completely inebriated, taking off all of his clothes and vomiting onto his birthday cake.

"Well I'm honestly shocked he would grace us mere mortals with his presence. It's amazing what with all these celebrities here that he still manages to have the biggest ego in the room."

"Biggest ego?" A voice behind them repeats. "You wouldn't be talking about me, would you?" The two girls turn around and their faces split into wide grins.

"Taichi Kamiya it's been far too long! Oh and you brought us gifts!" Sora shouts, accepting a flute of champagne from him. He plants a quick kiss on her cheek and he greets Mimi the same.

Even after he pulls back, she can feel his eyes on her. He's studying her. Immediately she begins to wonder if he notices anything different, the little changes she has made since he last saw her. Like the way she's are wearing her hair in loose curls down her back, rather than pin-straight. Or how she was wearing a pair of emerald studs that Tai had given to her for her birthday a few years back. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ears, curious to see whether or not he would realize.

He does In fact, he notices every little thing about her. He can see that she no longer frames her eyes with black kohl, she now opted for brown - it suited her complexion much more. He sees the small scar on the side of her wrist and he remembers the phone call they shared when she loudly shouted, having brushed her wrist across a hot pan in the kitchen while baking her own birthday cake. She feels almost a bit self-conscious at his gaze but he is just trying to take as much of her in as he can. He is trying to commit how she looks right now to his memory. From the way her skin is glowing, even though they are in a dimly lit room, to the way her eyes lit up when she saw him. He drinks it all in, because before either of them know it he will be gone again. Mimi will never admit it, but she can't help but feel something that can only be described as butterflies fluttering around inside of her whenever he is around. But, that was the effect Taichi Kamiya has on people.

"I just got back from New York. Work has been so crazy lately, I didn't even get to see my family for Christmas." He tells the girls but they aren't surprised. Last year when he was only twenty-four years old, he became the CEO of a major company here in Tokyo. His job was both physically and mentally demanding and often times required him to take business trips worldwide at the most inconvenient of times. It's a wonder that he was even able to make it tonight. Despite often having to stay at work at all hours of the night and the seemingly endless stream stress, he was happy and not to mention incredibly successful.

"Well, at least you got to see New York at Christmas. Wasn't it magical? Oh, how I miss spending my Christmases there!" Mimi sighs, dreamily.

"I hardly had time to eat, let alone take in all the sights!" Tai says and Sora politely excuses herself, she could never really keep up with his work stories. "We've been trying to land a new client and it's proving to be much more difficult than we originally anticipated." He explains. "I'm not usually the one who has to do this kind of thing, but the client specifically requested that I come to New York along with my team." He puffs out his chest proudly. "Obviously, they ended up accepting our offer in the end but it was touch-and-go for a while there." He immediately notices Mimi's eyes glazing over and he can't help but laugh. Much like Sora, she never really understood these kind of things. "How about you, Mimi? How's the bakery?" When he asks, Mimi knows he isn't just doing so to be polite. He is genuinely interested in her life. After attending culinary school and working a few odd jobs in the catering business, Mimi decided to open her very own bakery. It was small but it was the love of her life. She put her heart and soul into that place and has been somewhat of a small success, nowhere near the level Matt or Tai have reached, but a success nonetheless. She tells him all about the Christmas rush and how she even had to hire two new employees (bringing her total staff count to an impressive six!). She briefly mentions some horrible customer story but her heart practically explodes when she talks about her regulars - the customers who come in everyday, sometimes even twice - who love her bakery almost as much as she does. He can't help but smile when she talks about work, he thinks it's absolutely endearing the way her eyes light up when she talks about a new recipe she tried. She is excitedly explaining her latest creation when Michael taps her hurriedly on the shoulder.

"Do you mind if we head home now?" He asks, paying no notice to Tai who makes an attempt at greeting Michael with a handshake.

"Now?" She asks, with a tone of surprise. She makes a show to gesture towards one of the several flat screen T.V's around the room, counting down to the new year. "It's only eleven thirty! Can't you wait until after midnight?"

"I've got to deal with something work related." He says shortly.

"Work related? Isn't it a bit late for work?"

"It's much earlier in America." He sighs impatiently and his phone begins to ring from inside his suit jacket. He checks to see who is calling. "I have to take this." He briskly walks away.

Tai raises an eyebrow and is about to speak but the pair are interrupted again, this time by Davis, who (surprise, surprise) is incredibly drunk. He begins telling a story that neither Mimi or Tai can quite follow. Something about a woman's expensive looking dress and a plateful of shrimp and cocktail sauce. Before either of them can ask any questions, he staggers away, nearly knocking down a server with his flailing arms.

* * *

><p><em>10! 9! 8!<em>

The entire room begins the countdown. Mimi frantically searches for Michael but of course he's no where to be seen. _Leave it to him to disappear just before midnight. _She thinks to herself bitterly.

_7! 6! 5! 4!_

She holds out hope, expecting him to come rushing to her side. But he's running out of time.

_3! 2!_

Still no sign of him.

_1!_

Everyone around them is kissing and somewhere Auld Lang Syne is playing loudly. Confetti is raining down on them and Tai looks over at her.

"For the sake of tradition?" He asks and she nods. He leans down and she stands up on her tiptoes and their lips meet.

The kiss is quick, barely lasting two seconds. She gently pulls herself away from him, he still has his arms around her but she takes no notice, or doesn't mind. She wishes him a happy new year, her voice is barely audible over the shouts of the party guests. But he tunes everything out and is focused solely on her. Yes, the kiss was quick and celebratory. One would normally not read much into it, it's New Years for heavens sake. But he's staring down at her, his arms still wrapped around her petite frame and he watches her eyes flicker across the room. He knows who she is looking for and it breaks his heart just a little bit. He can go ages without seeing her, but as always, when they reunite all sorts of feelings resurface. Feelings that he wishes he could forget all about. He's been hung up on this girl for as long as he can remember and he has yet to do something about it. _Courageous?_ He bitterly thinks to himself. It was a word his nearest and dearest thought best described him. _Yeah right._ He spots a head of blonde hair making it's way over to the pair and he wants nothing more than to whisk her in the opposite direction, hoping to evade her boyfriend for a while longer. But her eyes follow his and she spots her boyfriend and Tai can do nothing but drop his arms away from her and step aside.

Michael is here now and he quickly apologizes for missing the main event, offering her a quick peck to make up for his absence. He asks her if they can leave now and she obliges sadly. She never liked leaving a party early. He tells her he will be go wait in the lobby and call a cab so she can say her goodbyes. Giving a nod in Tai's direction, he pushes his way out of the crowded room.

"Well it was nice to see you tonight, Tai." She says and pulls him in for a goodbye hug. "Hopefully we'll see more of each other in the new year." He nods and she kisses him on the cheek. "I better go and find Sora. She'll kill me if I leave without saying goodbye." She laughs and looks around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friends fiery hair. She turns her attention back to him and can't help but notice the way he is looking at her. Almost sadly. "Are you alright?" she asks, her voice low. "Is something the matter?" He quickly snaps out of it and flashes his signature, lopsided grin and mutters something about having too much champagne. She knows him better than that and calls him out on it.

"Oh, I just wish you didn't have to leave so early. I miss you." He says this lightly yet she wonders if there's any weight behind it. She can feel her phone vibrating in the pocket of her skirt and she guesses it's Michael wondering what is taking her so long. She ignores it and gives Tai one last hug before saying goodbye.

"I'll be seeing you," He tells her and she can't help but hope that it's true.


End file.
